Separation of Prophecy from Imamate and its relation to Secularism in Shaykh Tusi's thought system

In Islam, establishing a government by Prophet and Imams is awarded a special status. During the occultation of the Imam, the most important reason for founding a government is to maintain the sovereignty of religion and divine prophets. Among Imamiyya thinkers, Shaykh Tusi brought up the theory of separation of Imamate and Prophecy. He does not regard executive domain and sovereignty to be a part of the prophet’s responsibilities. He also believes in the separation of Imamate from Prophecy. Such a viewpoint may be considered as the equivalent of Secularism. The current article attempts to clarify this issue and by drawing on the evidence in Shaykh’s works, it refutes the attribution of Secularism to his theory. However, regarding the question of Imamate, in some instances he has inadvertently expressed his belief in the theory.